As is well known, in order to attain a proper stroke it is important that the feet of the player go through prescribed movements at the proper time and in a proper sequence. In one part of the stroke correct foot work is characterized by stability or resistance to a rocking or lateral tilting action whereas in another part of the stroke the foot work is characterized by mobility or freedom for lateral tilting or yielding action. These actions take place in a prescribed sequence with respect to first one foot and then the other.
Attempts have been made to improve a golfer's performance by modifying the design of the sole, heel and spikes of the shoe. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,732,634, 1,870,751, 4,790,083, 4,524,531, 4,790,083, and 4,149,324, each of which discloses a modification to golf shoes for improving the performance of a golfer.
The swing is very important in the overall performance of a golfer. Coordinated working of the feet and legs is necessary and must be used to initiate the down swing of the golf club. The power source for the swing is the feet and legs. During the back swing the golfer's right foot is moved to bear against the inner edge of the right shoe. This moves the shoulders and the upper portion of the user's body, but not the user's head, into position for the down swing using the leverage of the inner edge of the right foot. By the time the golf club reaches impact, the majority of the weight must have been transferred to the left leg and foot. This clears the left side of the body to enable the completion of the swing toward the target.
The swing and the transfer of the weight to the left leg cause the left foot to roll to the left outer edge during the follow through. U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,324 issued to Lessor on Jan. 25, 1978 teaches a shoe adapted to be comfortable while walking but still assist in these foot and leg motions which are required for a proper stroke. However, the golf shoes taught by Lessor do not assist with proper balance during the address of a golf ball or maintain balance through completion of the swing.
With conventional golf shoe construction, the sole of the golf shoe has an outer flange slight projecting from the upper in a substantially uniform manner along the entire length of the sole. Along the arch region and particularly along the heel region of a conventional shoe the upper projects laterally beyond the sole and the heel. The result is that such conventional shoes cannot produce a restraint against outward rolling, an action which is known as a backward roll. U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,634 issued to Jacobson on Sep. 9, 1971 teaches a golf shoe which is constructed to oppose this tendency toward backward roll. However, the shoe taught by Jacobson does not assist in shifting a golfer's weight in an optimal manner for addressing a golf ball.
Golf shoes are known in which the sole of the shoe is provided with an inclined plane on the side corresponding to its outer left edge. This type of arrangement limits the lateral rolling of the foot on the side of the outer edge during the back swing and provides relative stabilization when the movement is completed. This helps only during the back swing. However, this shoe does not allow the player to have the weight transfer to the outer edge of the left shoe. These shoes often have a number of spikes under the sole to insure good traction with the ground. However, this type of shoe is often found to be uncomfortable and U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,561 issued to Dufour on May 11, 1987 teaches providing an insert for overcoming this problem. However, the insert taught by Dufour is to the side of the shoe and does not assist the user in centering body weight in a way which improves a golfer's address of a golf ball.